After losing the Premiership to the Rangers by a gap of 25 points and going through a rare trophyless campaign, Celtic will be keen to turn things around as quickly as possible and get back to challenging for titles next season. And a new goalkeeper might be very high on Ange Postecoglou’s summer wish list, as he aims to rebuild the squad.
Vasilis Barkas, Scott Bain and Conor Hazard all got runs with the first-team gloves in the previous campaign. But none of them managed to convince that they were the long-term answer for the club between the posts.
And one man who the club have been heavily linked with since Postecoglou was appointed as the new manager is Mat Ryan.
Postecoglou will know Ryan well from his time as the manager of the Australian national team. And it is very possible that he could look for a reunion at Parkhead. Arsenal have been linked with the goalkeeper as well but it looks like Celtic might have a big advantage in the transfer race.
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Celtic have major advantage in Mat Ryan transfer race
As reported by Sky Sports, Ryan is keen to be a first-choice goalkeeper at his next club and will weigh up his options before deciding on a move. Of course, this could very well work in Celtic’s favour.
At this point of time, he is not the first choice at Brighton & Hove Albion, and with just a year left on his current deal, it is very possible that he might be available for a bargain transfer fee in the summer.
Ryan already spent the second half of the previous season on loan at Arsenal. He got few opportunities in the first-team there although he did impress whenever given the chance.
With the Hoops though, it is expected that he would be the regular starter if he can settle into Scottish football. And thus, if it is first-team football that he wants, Parkhead might be the place to be for the Australian. Of course, the presence of Postecoglou could also play a huge role.